For March 1st:

“I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.” Phillipians4:11-12

If you think back to the Ash Wednesday entry of this Living a Life of Gratitude Daily Devotional you will recall that we began a gratitude project for Lent. Lent is a time in the Christian calendar, the 40 days (excluding Sundays) leading up to Easter, when Christians practice some form of discipline that might lead them into a closer relationship with and understanding of Jesus and how much we are loved by Him. In her book “One Thousand Gifts”, 2009, Ann Voskamp is dared to start a list of one thousand things she loves. This list was her starting point of finding out just how much she was loved by God and it changed her life.

We are taking that same dare as our Lenten “gratitude” project. We are challenged to start making a list of things we love over the next 40 days. Ordinary things; details, moments. You don’t have to number your list if you don’t want to. And it’s not too late to join in.  Just start writing down the things that make you happy in list form.

We hope that if you have already started your list that you are experiencing some of the same joy that Ms. Voskamp, as well as many of our women here at church have described. The physical writing down of common details really does make you feel happy. Like Paul describes in the passage above, we are learning to find joy in the everyday circumstances. We are learning to be thankful for small things, so that we can be grateful in ALL things eventually. Even the tough things. Hopefully we are on our way to learning how to have grateful hearts whether empty or full.

In Luke 9:23 Jesus teaches His disciples, “ eyes to see, ears to hear…”. That is in a way what is happening as we make these lists of things that make us happy. Our eyes are being opened to seeing and hearing God all around us and by the simple act of writing it down, we are saying thank you to God. We are experiencing the presence of God every time we add something to our lists.

So, keep your “seeing eyes” and “hearing ears” open for more items to add to your lists throughout this month. Easter is March 31^st.

CUMC Women’s Ministry